"Whitness"

To fully understand the meaning of "whiteness", the article goes into explaining how the white majority race looks at itself and represents itself. The term, "whiteness" belongs to the Caucasian race. To be white means to be the dominant patriarchal race in what is supposedly a capitalist system. The article conveys this words meaning by comparing it to the history Hollywood's cinema in America. America has undergone a series of phases where different races have assimilated themselves into the predominant race, white. From the Irish to the Italian and so forth, the struggles of other races in a world created for whites, lasted for generations. The struggle however, has yet to be done. Today’s world is still, to a certain degree focused around the white dominance. For example, in cinema, a superhero movie is referenced as just, "that superhero movie," when stared by a Caucasian actor. Whereas, if the super hero is an African American, the movie is noted to be about an "African American hero." It is as if it is universally natural to be white, and therefore no one points out his or her whiteness. To be white is defined more through what is NOT than what actually IS, according to the article on the concept of whiteness and American Film. Ironically, throughout this article, through each race that is assimilated prove that the meaning and the opinion of what "whiteness" means has changed throughout history. This to me is raises an issue of racial hypocrisy. Also, more recently, in order for Hollywood to avoid racist accusations, they have added in a black character. For example, in "You've Got Mail" Tom Hank's friend who is black, is the character that forces the audience to be aware of the racial difference. However, all this shows, is a white dominated society is still just as white, they just don't want to be accused of that. To me, being white in this society means having power and privilege and right that most white people are either to ignorant to admit, or do not want to admit. But the examples that Hollywood provides us a clear answer that it is indeed the case. To be white in our culture has almost the connotation of what is "natural". It's just like the article also said, that if a person had the choice to be associated in the white race, or another, most cases have proven that they will choice to be associated in the white race (even if that is not their own racial and ethnical background). Many people choose this association because of the power and privilege that is attached to it. I don't necessarily believe that it is morally right or just in anyway, but it is hard to argue that the white race doesn’t have some sort of superiority over other races (especially based on the decades of history to back that up).